this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2026
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[–] tal@lemmy.today 37 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Legend has it that every new technology is first used for something related to sex or pornography. That seems to be the way of humankind.

---Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of HTTP and HTML

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/mar/03/internetnews.observerfocus

The dirty secret that drives new technology: it's porn

The Guardian, 24 years ago

[–] Insekticus@aussie.zone 32 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I'm terrified to think of what Oppenheimer did with the first A-bomb then...

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"I am becum death, hnnnnnnngh!" --Oppenheimer

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Why do I hear this quote in Mr. Regular voice?

[–] tal@lemmy.today 15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core

The demon core was a sphere of plutonium–gallium alloy that was involved in two fatal radiation accidents when scientists tested it as a fissile core of an early atomic bomb.

Scientists referred to this flirtation with a nuclear chain reaction as "tickling the dragon's tail", based on a remark by physicist Richard Feynman.[12][13]

It was a case of an unfortunate mistranslation due to the lack of awareness among historians about the thriving scalie scene at the Manhattan Project.

[–] Silic0n_Alph4@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

He unleashed his Little Boy all over Hir! (oshima)

[–] raspirate@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago
[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

That porn was one of the big drivers for home VHS and online payments.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 7 points 2 days ago

Yeah, honestly, you could go way further back.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurine

A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statue portraying a woman, usually carved in the round.[1] Most have been unearthed in Europe, but others have been found as far away as Siberia and distributed across much of Eurasia.

Most date from the Gravettian period (26,000–21,000 years ago).[1] However, findings are not limited to this period; for example, the Venus of Hohle Fels dates back at least 35,000 years...

For context, we figured out agriculture and started to move away from hunter-gatherer life about 12,000 years ago.

These figurines are recognised as some of the earliest works of prehistoric art.

Most have wide hips and legs that taper to a point. Arms and feet are often absent, and the head is usually small and faceless. Various figurines exaggerate the abdomen, hips, breasts, thighs, or vulva, although many found examples do not reflect these typical characteristics. Depictions of hairstyles can be detailed, and clothing or tattoos may be indicated.[5]

The original cultural meaning and purpose of these artefacts is not known. It has frequently been suggested that they may have served a ritual or symbolic function.

I have a guess.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Its a bit overstated. Sure, Sony blocked adult material from Betamax, but VHS simply had longer running time on the tapes, a larger library, and far cheaper hardware.

[–] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

Same with Blu Ray. People claim that porn was responsible for the adoption of it over HD-DVD, but Bluray was a disc with nearly double the capacity in the same form factor. In what world would people choose HD-DVD?

People didn't care that betamax was technically better quality. You couldn't record an entire sports game on a betamax tape.